1. The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 and The Crucible
“I am wronged. It is a shameful thing that you should mind these folks that are out of their wits.”
--Martha Carrier
Hanged August 19, 1692

2. Arthur Miller ( )
Lived in New York City for most of his life
Greatest works include The Crucible and Death of a Salesman
His plays focus on tragedy and injustice

3. Arthur Miller ( )
Dropped out of high school but later went to the University of Michigan
Was questioned about his involvement in Communism and was caught up in Senator Joseph McCarthy’s “Red Scare”
Was married for a time to Marilyn Monroe

4. Facts about the Salem Witch Trials
Over 150 tried for witchcraft
20 people killed (19 hanged, 1 pressed to death)
Many more confessed
Many more were jailed

5. Facts about the Salem Witch Trials
The government later gave money to the heirs of the deceased and published statements stating that the accused/deceased were not actually witches and/or warlocks
Judge Samuel Sewall, a judge at the witchcraft trials, later said he was wrong for participating

6. Facts about The Crucible
Written in 1953
Set in the Puritan village of Salem, Massachusetts during the spring of 1692
“Crucible” definitions:
A heat-resistant container in which materials can be subjected to high temperatures
A severe test or trial (especially of belief)
A place, time, or situation characterized by the collision of intellectual and social forces

7. Information regarding the Puritan’s concept of the devil and witchcraft
God
is all powerful
punishes the wicked and unjust

8. Information regarding the Puritan’s concept of the devil and witchcraft
is real
is called Satan, Prince of Darkness, or Lucifer
exists and works in the world
can take various forms (person, animal, etc.)
exists to separate people from God and overthrow good
lives in the woods
provides temptations
causes fear, jealousy, mistrust, anger etc.

9. Information regarding the Puritan’s concept of the devil and witchcraft
Witches
are real
are helpers of the Devil and do the Devil’s work
are not just female; they can be men or animals

10. Information regarding the Puritan’s concept of the devil and witchcraft
Bible quote: “Thou shall not suffer a witch to live”
Exodus 22:18
In other words, the Puritans felt it was their religious duty to kill a witch so that he or she would not have to suffer the torment of being a witch.

11. Information regarding the Puritan’s concept of the devil and witchcraft
If you were accused of being a witch and confessed, you were pardoned
If you were accused of being a witch and did not confess, you would be burned, pressed, or hanged

12. Information regarding the Puritan’s concept of the devil and witchcraft
A witch could also be tried by the water test (a form of trial by ordeal):
The accused would be tied up and tossed into water. If they sank, they were innocent; if they made it to shore, they were guilty.

13. Information regarding the Puritan’s concept of the devil and witchcraft
The Puritans had created a Theocracy:
God is recognized as the supreme ruler
Religious authorities acted as God’s representatives and controlled both church and state
Citizens could be punished for church offenses:
Not attending church
Not knowing their commandments
Not knowing the Lord’s Prayer

14. Information regarding the Puritan’s concept of the devil and witchcraft
Puritan society demanded conformity
Early in the colony’s history, conformity was necessary for survival
Non-Conformists were not tolerated:
Roger Williams suggested paying Indians for their land. He was run out of Salem and later founded Rhode Island.
Villagers turned each other in for violations against Puritan society
The central struggle was between the authority of the state versus individual rights

15. Information regarding the Puritan’s concept of the devil and witchcraft
All this led to fear and, ultimately, mass hysteria
The nature of the crime of witchcraft causes everyone to believe the victims (the accusers)
Witches will identify themselves
Witchcraft is an invisible crime where the victim is believed

16. The Crucible’s connection to McCarthyism and the Red Scare
The 1950s—The U.S. and U.S.S.R. were in a struggle for world domination.
Joseph McCarthy, a congressman, made a career by looking for communists in the government and in American life
McCarthy was head of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)
Miller was called into hearing because he had worked in the labor movement as a young man.

17. The Crucible’s connection to McCarthyism and the Red Scare
McCarthy’s accusations were similar to a “witch hunt” because anyone who criticized or talked out against the hearings was accused of being a Communist
People were afraid of McCarthy’s power and were afraid to speak out against him
His accusations targeted a variety of groups and people, including the President of the United States

18. The Crucible’s connection to McCarthyism and the Red Scare
Miller was accused, but he refused to admit that he was a Communist, and he refused to name others as Communists
The connection to The Crucible is this: innocent people were falsely accused of evil, and it was easy to get rid of your enemies by accusing them of either being a witch or a communist
The Crucible is an allegory for McCarthyism and the Red Scare

19. Witch Hunt…Or Not? The Holocaust Japanese-American Internment Camps
Racial Profiling and/or Stereotyping
Can you think of any other Current or Historical examples of “Witch Hunts” or scapegoats?

20. The End
Witchcraft was hung, in History, But History and I Find all the Witchcraft that we need Around us, every Day—
Emily Dickinson, #1583